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The Story of the Book of Ruth – Discover How Ruth Influenced the Lineage of Jesus · truthunedited

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Speaker 1: In the ancient days of Israel, when the judges ruled,
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Speaker 1: something happened that would forever change the story of one family.
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Speaker 1: This isn't just a story of loss and sorrow, but
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Speaker 1: one of choices, loyalty, and a love that crossed boundaries.
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Speaker 1: It's the story of a foreign woman named Ruth, who
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Speaker 1: left everything she knew behind to follow her mother in
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Speaker 1: law to an unknown land, a story that shows us
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Speaker 1: how God works through even the most difficult circumstances to
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Speaker 1: carry out his greater plans. Let's go back in time
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Speaker 1: and meet this family from Bethlehem, who, fleeing hunger, found
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Speaker 1: more than they ever expected in a foreign land. And
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Speaker 1: let's discover how a young Moabite woman became a vital
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Speaker 1: part of God's people's story. The Book of Ruth opens
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Speaker 1: in hard times, as Ruth one one says, in the
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Speaker 1: days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in
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Speaker 1: the land, So a man from Bethlehem and Judah, together
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Speaker 1: with his wife and two sons, went to live for
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Speaker 1: a while in the country of Moab. Ironically, Bethlehem, whose
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Speaker 1: name means house of bread, had no food. So a
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Speaker 1: man named Elimelech decided he had to protect his family.
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Speaker 1: Illimelech didn't make that decision lightly. The famine in Israel
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Speaker 1: was severe and many were suffering. He looked at his wife,
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Speaker 1: Naomi and their two young sons, Marlon and Killian, and
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Speaker 1: knew he had to act. Packing their belongings and leaving
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Speaker 1: their homeland was painful, but necessary for survival. The journey
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Speaker 1: wasn't easy. From the hill country of Judah, the family
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Speaker 1: traveled east, crossing the Dead Sea into the highlands of Moab.
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Speaker 1: It was a foreign land, with foreign people, different customs,
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Speaker 1: and more importantly, different gods. The Moabites were traditionally enemies
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Speaker 1: of Israel, descendants of Moab. The child born from Lot's
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Speaker 1: incestuous relationship with his eldest daughter, But hunger left Elimelech
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Speaker 1: with no choice. They were to Moab and lived there,
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Speaker 1: continues verse two. It was meant to be temporary, just
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Speaker 1: until the famine in Judah passed. They settled there as
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Speaker 1: foreigners in a strange land. Elimelech worked hard to support
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Speaker 1: his family, while Naomi raised the boys, teaching them the
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Speaker 1: traditions of their people. Even in exile. Years went by.
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Speaker 1: Mahlon and Kilion grew up strong in moab They learned
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Speaker 1: the local language, made friends among the Moabites, and adapted
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Speaker 1: to their new life. Then something unexpected happened, as verse
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Speaker 1: three tells us, now Elimelech, Naomi's husband died and she
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Speaker 1: was left with her two sons. Elimelech's death changed everything. Suddenly,
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Speaker 1: Naomi was a widowed foreigner in a land not her own.
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Speaker 1: Her sons, now grown, became the family's providers. It was
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Speaker 1: a time of grief and adjustment. Naomi deeply felt the
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Speaker 1: loss of her husband, but found comforting her sons, who
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Speaker 1: now cared for her. As time passed, Marlon and Killian
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Speaker 1: integrated even more into Moabite society, and as young men,
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Speaker 1: they looked for wives. Verse four tells us they married
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Speaker 1: Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After
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Speaker 1: they had lived there about ten years, Mahelen married Ruth,
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Speaker 1: a kind and hard working young woman. Killian chose Orpah
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Speaker 1: equally devoted. These Moabite women were welcomed into the family
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Speaker 1: and learned much from Naomi about the ways of Israel.
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Speaker 1: Though they came from a people who worshiped other gods,
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Speaker 1: they respected the customs of their new family. The households
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Speaker 1: lived in relative harmony. The daughters in law helped Naomi
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Speaker 1: with daily chores, and everyone worked together to build a
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Speaker 1: life in Moab. But the happiness didn't last. Both Marlon
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Speaker 1: and Killion also died, and Naomi was left without her
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Speaker 1: two sons and her husband. Says Verse five, tragedy struck
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Speaker 1: Naomi's house once again. First she lost her husband and
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Speaker 1: now her two sons. We don't know exactly how they died,
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Speaker 1: whether from illness or accident. The Bible doesn't say, we
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Speaker 1: only know the grief hit this family hard. Three women,
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Speaker 1: all widows, sharing the same house and the same sorrow.
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Speaker 1: For Naomi, it felt like her entire world had collapsed.
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Speaker 1: She was in a foreign land with no husband, no sons,
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Speaker 1: no grandchildren, only her two Moabite daughters in law, who
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Speaker 1: were also grieving their young husbands. The three women leaned
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Speaker 1: on one another in mourning, but the future looked bleak.
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Speaker 1: In the society where women depended on men to survive,
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Speaker 1: three widows together faced an uncertain path. After the death
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Speaker 1: of her sons, Naomi entered a time of darkness. The
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Speaker 1: nights were long, and the mornings brought only memories of
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Speaker 1: all she had lost. But then one day news arrived,
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Speaker 1: news that brought a glimmer of hope. As Ruth one
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Speaker 1: sick says, when Naomi heard in Moab that the Lord
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Speaker 1: had come to the aid of his people by providing
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Speaker 1: food for them, she and her daughters in law prepared
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Speaker 1: to return home from there. The famine in Israel had ended.
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Speaker 1: God had remembered his people and blessed the land with
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Speaker 1: abundant harvests once more. For Naomi, it felt like a calling.
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Speaker 1: After nearly ten years in Moab, she felt it was
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Speaker 1: time to return home to her land, her people. There
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Speaker 1: was no reason to stay in a foreign place any more.
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Speaker 1: The decision wasn't easy. Moab had been her home for
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Speaker 1: a long time. Her husband and sons were buried there.
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Speaker 1: The land held memories, some sweet, some bitter. But Bethlehem
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Speaker 1: was calling her back. There she had relatives, friends from
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Speaker 1: her youth, people who knew her before all the pain.
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Speaker 1: Naomi packed up what little she had left. Years of
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Speaker 1: hardship had taken nearly everything. Aupah and Ruth helped her
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Speaker 1: gather what they could carry for the long journey ahead.
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Speaker 1: The three women began walking the road back to Judah,
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Speaker 1: but As they traveled, Naomi started thinking about the future
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Speaker 1: of her daughters in law. They were young, beautiful, with
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Speaker 1: their whole lives ahead of them. Why should they follow her,
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Speaker 1: an old, bitter woman, to a land they didn't know.
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Speaker 1: Along the way, Naomi stopped and turned to her daughters
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Speaker 1: in law with tears in her eyes. She spoke from
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Speaker 1: the heart, as recorded in verses eight and nine. Then
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Speaker 1: Naomi said to her two daughters in law, go back,
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Speaker 1: each of you to your mother's home. May the Lord
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Speaker 1: show you kindness, as you have shown kindness to your
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Speaker 1: dead husbands and to me. May the Lord grant that
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Speaker 1: each of you will find rest in the home of
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Speaker 1: another husband. Naomi was thinking about what was best for
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Speaker 1: the young women. In Israel. They would be foreigners Moa
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Speaker 1: by women viewed with suspicion, But in Moab they were known,
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Speaker 1: had family and could start over, remarry, have children. So
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Speaker 1: with a mother's love, Naomi blessed them and kissed them
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Speaker 1: good bye, preparing to continue her journey alone. Then they
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Speaker 1: wept aloud, says verse nine. The three women had shared
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Speaker 1: so much joy, sorrow, grief, saying good bye was not easy.
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Speaker 1: The bond between them ran deep, but Orpah and Ruth
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Speaker 1: resisted the idea of leaving Naomi. No, they said, we
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Speaker 1: will go back with you to your people, as Verse
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Speaker 1: ten records. Naomi, however, insisted she knew the chances of
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Speaker 1: her daughters in law finding new husbands in Israel were
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Speaker 1: slim to none. Verses eleven to thirteen lay out her reasoning.
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Speaker 1: But Naomi said, return home, my daughters. Why would you
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Speaker 1: come with me? Am I going to have any more
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Speaker 1: sons who could become your husband's Return home, my daughters,
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Speaker 1: I am too old to have another husband, even if
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Speaker 1: I thought there was still hope for me. Even if
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Speaker 1: I had a husband to night and then gave birth
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Speaker 1: to sons, would you wait until they grew up? Would
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Speaker 1: you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters, it is
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Speaker 1: more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord's
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Speaker 1: hand has turned against me. Naomi's words were harsh but realistic.
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Speaker 1: According to Israelite law, a man's brother was supposed to
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Speaker 1: marry the widow to carry on the family line. But
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Speaker 1: Naomi had no more sons to offer. Orpah and Ruth,
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Speaker 1: and even if she married again and had children, how
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Speaker 1: long would they have to wait for those boys to
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Speaker 1: grow up. It was a hopeless dream. Once again, the
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Speaker 1: three women wept, feeling the pain of their looming separation,
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Speaker 1: and then Orpah made her choice. At this they wept
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Speaker 1: aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother in law goodbye,
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Speaker 1: but Ruth clung to her says verse fourteen, or Pa
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Speaker 1: kissed Naomi good bye through her tears. It wasn't an
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Speaker 1: easy decision, but it was a practical one. She would
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Speaker 1: return to her mother's house, just as Naomi had advised.
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Speaker 1: She would go back to her people, her customs, her gods,
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Speaker 1: and give herself a chance to start anew. Naomi didn't
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Speaker 1: judge her on the contrary, She used ORPA's choice to
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Speaker 1: try one last time to convince Ruth. Look said, Naomi,
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Speaker 1: your sister in law is going back to her people
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Speaker 1: and her gods go back with her. Verse fifteen. It
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Speaker 1: was Naomi's final attempt to release Ruth from a duty
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Speaker 1: she felt was too heavy for someone so young. As
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Speaker 1: or per faded into the distance on her way back
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Speaker 1: to Moab, Ruth remained by Naomi's side. There was something
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Speaker 1: special about this young Moabite woman, a quiet determination that
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Speaker 1: went beyond the ordinary. Even with Naomi's repeated urging to
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Speaker 1: turn back. Ruth did not waver. Then came a moment
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Speaker 1: that would echo through the ages. Ruth looked into Naomi's
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Speaker 1: eyes and spoke words that revealed the depth of her commitment,
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Speaker 1: as recorded in Ruth one sixteen to seventeen. But Ruth replied,
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Speaker 1: don't urge me to leave you or to turn back
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Speaker 1: from you. Where you go, I will go, and where
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Speaker 1: you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my
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Speaker 1: people and your God my God. Where you die, I
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Speaker 1: will die, and there I will be buried. May the
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Speaker 1: Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if
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Speaker 1: even death separates you and me. Ruth's words weren't just poetic.
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Speaker 1: They were a solemn vow, a declaration of loyalty that
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Speaker 1: went far beyond typical family bonds. She wasn't merely choosing
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Speaker 1: to stay with Naomi. She was choosing to give up
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Speaker 1: everything she had known, her homeland, her people, her traditions,
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Speaker 1: even the gods she grew up worshiping. Your people will
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Speaker 1: be my people and your God, my God. This was
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Speaker 1: more than duty or sympathy. Ruth had been touched by
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Speaker 1: the faith of Naomi's family during the years they had
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Speaker 1: lived together. She had seen something in Israel's God that
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Speaker 1: the gods of Moab didn't offer, and now she was
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Speaker 1: ready to fully embrace that new identity. Naomi was speechless
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Speaker 1: in the face of such love and loyalty. Verse eighteen
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Speaker 1: tells us when Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to
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Speaker 1: go with her, she stopped urging her. There was nothing
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Speaker 1: more to say. Ruth had made her choice, one that
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Speaker 1: would shape both their destinies in ways they couldn't yet imagine.
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Speaker 1: So the two women, one older and bitter, the other
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Speaker 1: young and steadfast, continued together down the dusty road to Bethlehem.
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Speaker 1: The journey from Moab to Bethlehem was not easy. It
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Speaker 1: was roughly eighty kilometers through rugged, mountainous terrain and desert.
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Speaker 1: For two women traveling alone, it was a hard and
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Speaker 1: dangerous trip. Without male protection, they were vulnerable to robbers
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Speaker 1: and other dangers on the road. They walked during the day,
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Speaker 1: resting when the sun grew too hot. At night, they
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Speaker 1: camped wherever they could, sharing the little food they had
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Speaker 1: brought with them. Along the way. Naomi told stories about Bethlehem,
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Speaker 1: what it was like before the famine, the people they
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Speaker 1: might meet. Ruth listened closely, trying to picture what her
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Speaker 1: new life would be like in this unfamiliar land. As
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Speaker 1: they walked, Ruth must have thought about everything she was
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Speaker 1: leaving behind, her family, her friends, everything familiar. She was
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Speaker 1: going to a place where she would be a foreigner,
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Speaker 1: a Moabite in Israelite territory. Moabites were generally despised by
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Speaker 1: the Israelites, considered descendants of an incestuous relationship, and worshipers
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Speaker 1: of idols. But still Ruth pressed on. Her loyalty to
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Speaker 1: Naomi was stronger than her fear of the unknown, and
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Speaker 1: perhaps deep in her heart, she felt this journey was
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Speaker 1: more than just a change in location. It was a
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Speaker 1: calling to something greater. Day by day they drew closer
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Speaker 1: to Judah, the landscape began to change. The hills of
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Speaker 1: Moab gave way to the mountains of Judah, and finally,
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Speaker 1: after many long days of travel, they saw Bethlehem in
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Speaker 1: the distance. The small town of Bethlehem appeared on the horizon,
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Speaker 1: nestled among rolling green hills. It was the beginning of spring,
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Speaker 1: the time of the barley harvest. The fields surrounding the
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Speaker 1: town were golden, ready to be reaped for Naomi. It
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Speaker 1: was a familiar sight, yet one filled with mixed emotions.
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Speaker 1: This was her home, but she was returning as a
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Speaker 1: different person than the one who had left. As Ruth
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Speaker 1: one nineteen says, so that the two of them went
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Speaker 1: on until they came to Bethlehem, And when they came
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Speaker 1: to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them,
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Speaker 1: and the women said, is this Naomi? The arrival of
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Speaker 1: the two women caused a stir in the small community.
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Speaker 1: Bethlehem wasn't a large town. Everyone knew everyone. Many still
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Speaker 1: remembered Naomi, the wife of Elimelech, who had left with
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Speaker 1: her family during the famine nearly ten years before. But
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Speaker 1: now she returned alone, accompanied only by a young foreigner.
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Speaker 1: Where were Elimelech and her sons? People stepped out of
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Speaker 1: their homes, pointing and whispering, Is that Naomi? They asked
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Speaker 1: one another, barely recognizing the older woman. Stooped and worn
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Speaker 1: down by grief. Walking the streets of the city, Naomi
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Speaker 1: heard the whispers and felt the weight of their stairs.
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Speaker 1: Ten years had passed, years filled with joy and so sorrow,
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Speaker 1: life and loss. She was no longer than Naomi, who
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Speaker 1: had once left Bethlehem, and she wanted every one to
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Speaker 1: know it. Don't call me Naomi, she said, according to
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Speaker 1: verse twenty, call me Mara, because the Almighty has made
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Speaker 1: my life very bitter. Naomi, which means pleasant or sweet,
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Speaker 1: no longer felt her name suited her. Mara, meaning bitter,
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Speaker 1: seemed a more fitting reflection of what she had become.
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Speaker 1: She didn't hide her pain nor her belief that God
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Speaker 1: had dealt harshly with her. Continuing in verse twenty one,
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Speaker 1: she poured her heart out. I went away full, but
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Speaker 1: the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi?
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Speaker 1: The Lord has testified against me, and the Almighty has
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Speaker 1: brought misfortune upon me. It was a raw and honest lament.
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Speaker 1: When she left Bethlehem, she had a husband and two sons.
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Speaker 1: She had hope a future. Now she returned with none
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Speaker 1: of that, only a foreign daughter in law by her side.
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Speaker 1: In Naomi's mind, God had taken everything from her. The
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Speaker 1: people of Bethlehem listened in silence, grasping the depth of
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Speaker 1: her sorrow. Some of the older women who had known
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Speaker 1: Naomi before came closer to offer comfort. There was sympathy
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Speaker 1: in their eyes, perhaps even a tinge of guilt for
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Speaker 1: not sharing more when the famine had driven Naomi's family away. Meanwhile,
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Speaker 1: Ruth stood quietly by Naomi's side, taking everything in with
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Speaker 1: watchful eyes. These were the people she had chosen as
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Speaker 1: her own. These streets would be her new home. She
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Speaker 1: was a foreigner, and she could feel some wary glances,
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Speaker 1: but she was determined to stand firm in her decision.
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Speaker 1: Verse twenty two closes the first chapter with So Naomi
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Speaker 1: returned and Ruth the Moabite, her daughter in law with her,
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Speaker 1: who returned from the country of Moab, and they came
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Speaker 1: to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest. It seems
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Speaker 1: like a simple detail, but it carries weight. They arrived
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Speaker 1: at the start of the barley harvest in spring, a
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Speaker 1: time of renewal of new life after winter. For many
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Speaker 1: in Israel. It was also a time of celebration marked
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Speaker 1: by the feast of Passover. But for Naomi and Ruth,
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Speaker 1: it was above all a time of uncertainty. As two
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Speaker 1: widows without male protection, their future was fragile. In both
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Speaker 1: Israelite and Moabite society, women depended on men, fathers, husbands,
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Speaker 1: or sons for security. Without them, they were vulnerable. They
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Speaker 1: needed a place to stay. Maybe Naomi still had some
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Speaker 1: family property in Bethlehem, though it had likely been abandoned
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Speaker 1: or taken over after so many years. In any case,
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Speaker 1: they needed food, which meant they would have to work. Thankfully,
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Speaker 1: Israelite law included provisions for the poor, widows, and foreigners.
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Speaker 1: One of those laws was gleaning. Harvesters were instructed not
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Speaker 1: to pick up the grain that fell during the harvest,
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Speaker 1: leaving it instead for those in need. As Leviticus twenty
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Speaker 1: three twenty two says, when you reap the harvest of
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Speaker 1: your land, you shall not reap your field right up
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Speaker 1: to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after
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Speaker 1: your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and
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Speaker 1: for the sojourner. For Ruth and Naomi, this law would
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Speaker 1: be a life line in the days ahead. The harvest
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Speaker 1: was beginning, and with it a chance not to go hungry.
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Speaker 1: That first night in Bethlehem, as they settled into some
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Speaker 1: humble corner, Ruth and Naomi must have talked about what
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Speaker 1: they would do next. The young Moabite woman used to
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Speaker 1: hard work likely volunteered to go to the fields. Naomi,
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Speaker 1: familiar with her people's customs probably explained how gleaning worked,
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Speaker 1: and so ended their first day back in Bethlehem, weary
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Speaker 1: from the long journey, facing an uncertain future. Yet somehow
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Speaker 1: they were home. For Naomi, it was a bitter return
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Speaker 1: to a place full of memories. For Ruth, it was
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Speaker 1: the start of a new life in a foreign land
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Speaker 1: among a people she now called her And the sun
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Speaker 1: had barely risen when Ruth got up that morning. She
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Speaker 1: looked at Naomi, still asleep, and decided not to wait
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Speaker 1: any longer. They needed to eat, and the barley harvest
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Speaker 1: was in full swing in the fields around Bethlehem. It
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Speaker 1: was time to act. In Israel, there was a special
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Speaker 1: law meant to help the poor, widows and foreigners. God
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Speaker 1: had commanded in Leviticus nineteen nine ten, when you reap
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Speaker 1: the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your
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Speaker 1: field right up to its edge. Neither shall you gather
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Speaker 1: the gleanings after your harvest. And you shall not strip
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Speaker 1: your vineyard bear. Neither shall you gather the fallen grape
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Speaker 1: of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor
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Speaker 1: and for the sojourner. This was the law of gleaning.
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Speaker 1: Landowners were not to harvest every last grain. They were
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Speaker 1: to leave the edges of their fields and anything that
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Speaker 1: fell during the harvest for those in need to gather.
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Speaker 1: It was a way to ensure no one would go hungry,
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Speaker 1: especially those who had no other means of support. Ruth
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Speaker 1: knew of this tradition because she had heard about it
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Speaker 1: from Naomi. Now she would have to put it into practice.
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Speaker 1: She didn't want to be a burden to her mother
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Speaker 1: in law. On the contrary, she wanted to take care
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Speaker 1: of her, so she decided to take the initiative. Let
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Speaker 1: me go to the fields and pick up the leftover
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Speaker 1: grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor, Ruth
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Speaker 1: said to Naomi, as recorded in Ruth two Too. She
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Speaker 1: was asking for permission, showing respect to her mother in law,
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Speaker 1: but also showing determination. She wasn't going to sit idly
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Speaker 1: by waiting for food to fall from the sky. Naomi
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Speaker 1: saw her daughter in laws resolve and agreed, go ahead,
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Speaker 1: my daughter. Perhaps she gave her some guidance on where
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Speaker 1: to go and how to behave, but in the end
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Speaker 1: she trusted Ruth's good judgment, and so with an empty
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Speaker 1: basket and hope in her heart, Ruth set out toward
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Speaker 1: the fields. She didn't know any one in Bethlehem. She
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Speaker 1: didn't know exactly where to go. She simply followed where
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Speaker 1: she saw other workers heading and chose a field where
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Speaker 1: she could glean the leftovers. So she went out, entered
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Speaker 1: a field and began to glean behind the harvesters. Continues
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Speaker 1: verse three. It was hard labor under the hot sun.
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Speaker 1: Ruth bent down to pick up every bit of grain
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Speaker 1: she could find, placing each one carefully into her basket.
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Speaker 1: Her body ached, but she pressed on, thinking of Naomi
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Speaker 1: and the food they needed. What Ruth didn't know at
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Speaker 1: that moment was that, out of all the fields in Bethlehem,
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Speaker 1: she had entered the field of Boaz. As verse three continues,
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Speaker 1: as it turned out, she was working in a field
22:12
Speaker 1: belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelech.
22:16
Speaker 1: As it turned out is how the text describes it.
22:19
Speaker 1: But it would soon become clear that there was much
22:21
Speaker 1: more behind this so called coincidence. Boaz wasn't just any landowner.
22:28
Speaker 1: He was a wealthy and influential man in Bethlehem, and
22:31
Speaker 1: more importantly, he was a relative of Elimelech, Naomi's deceased husband.
22:36
Speaker 1: He was a kinsman, redeemer, someone who, under Israelite law,
22:41
Speaker 1: had responsibilities toward the family of a deceased relative. As
22:46
Speaker 1: Ruth worked, the other gleaners and even some of the
22:50
Speaker 1: hired workers began to notice the foreign woman. Her appearance,
22:55
Speaker 1: her way of speaking, everything about her made it obvious
22:59
Speaker 1: that she wasn't an Israelite. Some might have been hostile,
23:02
Speaker 1: others simply curious. But Ruth stayed focused on her task,
23:08
Speaker 1: Respectful yet resolute. She worked tirelessly, picking up grain, one
23:13
Speaker 1: stalk at a time, without rest. The other gleaners came
23:16
Speaker 1: and went, but Ruth had been there since early morning
23:20
Speaker 1: without stopping, as Boaz is foreman would later point out.
23:24
Speaker 1: And then right on time, Boas arrived at the field
23:27
Speaker 1: to check on the harvest. It was just an ordinary
23:31
Speaker 1: day for him until his eyes landed on the unfamiliar
23:35
Speaker 1: young woman working so diligently among the gleaners. Boaz arrived
23:40
Speaker 1: from the town and greeted his workers with kind words.
23:44
Speaker 1: The Lord be with you, he said, and they replied,
23:48
Speaker 1: the Lord bless you. As recorded in Ruth two four,
23:53
Speaker 1: it was clear that Boaz was not just a boss,
23:56
Speaker 1: but a respected man who respected others, a man who
24:00
Speaker 1: feared God and honored him even in his daily greetings.
24:05
Speaker 1: As he oversaw the work, something, or rather someone, caught
24:09
Speaker 1: his attention. A young woman he didn't recognize was gleaning
24:14
Speaker 1: in his field. There was something different about her, about
24:17
Speaker 1: the way she worked, her perseverance. Curious, Boaz approached the
24:23
Speaker 1: harvest overseer. Whose young woman is that? He asked, as
24:27
Speaker 1: we read in verse five. It was a simple question,
24:30
Speaker 1: but it would set several lives on a new path.
24:33
Speaker 1: The overseer responded, explaining what he knew about the newcomer.
24:38
Speaker 1: She is the Moabite who came back from Moab with Naomi.
24:42
Speaker 1: She said, please let me glean and gather among the
24:46
Speaker 1: sheaves behind the harvesters. She came into the field and
24:51
Speaker 1: has remained here from morning till now, except for a
24:54
Speaker 1: short rest in the shelter Verses six and seven. The
24:58
Speaker 1: overseer not only identified Ruth, but also highlighted her work ethic.
25:02
Speaker 1: She had asked permission to glean, demonstrating respect for the landowner,
25:07
Speaker 1: and had been working hard since morning with only a
25:10
Speaker 1: brief pause. That said a lot about her character. Beau
25:15
Speaker 1: As had already heard about Naomi's return to Bethlehem. He
25:19
Speaker 1: n knew she was the widow of his relative Elimelech,
25:24
Speaker 1: and now here was the moa bye daughter in law.
25:26
Speaker 1: He had also heard rumors about the foreign woman who
25:29
Speaker 1: had chosen to leave her homeland to follow her elderly
25:33
Speaker 1: mother in law. Moved by compassion and admiration, bo As
25:38
Speaker 1: decided to speak to Ruth himself. He approached her with
25:41
Speaker 1: respect and kindness, treating her not as a stranger or
25:45
Speaker 1: someone beneath him, but as someone worthy of care and attention. Listen,
25:51
Speaker 1: my daughter, he said to Ruth, as we see in
25:53
Speaker 1: verse eight, don't go and glean in another aveiled and
25:58
Speaker 1: don't go away from here. Stay here with the women
26:01
Speaker 1: who work for me. Boas not only allowed her to
26:04
Speaker 1: glean in his field, he explicitly invited her to stay,
26:08
Speaker 1: offering her protection and the special privilege of staying close
26:12
Speaker 1: to his female workers. And he continued in verse nine,
26:17
Speaker 1: watch the field where the men are harvesting, and follow
26:20
Speaker 1: along after the women. I have told the men not
26:23
Speaker 1: to lay a hand on you, And whenever you are thirsty,
26:26
Speaker 1: go and get a drink from the water jars the
26:29
Speaker 1: men have filled. Bo As wasn't just giving her permission.
26:33
Speaker 1: He was actively insuring her safety. He had instructed his
26:37
Speaker 1: men not to bother Ruth, a crucial protection for a
26:41
Speaker 1: foreign woman in a field full of male workers. And
26:45
Speaker 1: beyond that, he offered her access to water drawn by
26:49
Speaker 1: his own servants, an important comfort during long hours under
26:52
Speaker 1: the scorching sun. Ruth was stunned by such unexpected kindness.
26:58
Speaker 1: As a foreigner, she expected me tolerance, certainly, not favor.
27:02
Speaker 1: Following the custom of the time, she bowed down, with
27:06
Speaker 1: her face to the ground and asked him, why have
27:09
Speaker 1: I found such favor in your eyes that you notice
27:12
Speaker 1: me a foreigner? Verse ten. It was an honest question.
27:17
Speaker 1: Why would he, a man of standing in Israel, show
27:20
Speaker 1: such kindness to her, a Moabite? The Moabites were traditionally
27:25
Speaker 1: enemies of Israel. Why should she deserve such treatment? Ba
27:30
Speaker 1: as His response revealed that his kindness was not random.
27:34
Speaker 1: It was a reaction to Ruth's own character and actions,
27:38
Speaker 1: as we read in verses eleven and twelve. Baas replied,
27:42
Speaker 1: I've been told all about what you have done for
27:44
Speaker 1: your mother in law since the death of your husband,
27:47
Speaker 1: how you left your father and mother and your homeland
27:49
Speaker 1: and came to live with the people you did not
27:52
Speaker 1: know before. May the Lord repay you for what you
27:55
Speaker 1: have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord,
27:58
Speaker 1: the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come
28:02
Speaker 1: to take refuge. Bo As wasn't just impressed by Ruth's
28:08
Speaker 1: presence in his field that day. He had heard the
28:11
Speaker 1: whole story. Her loyalty to Naomi, her willingness to leave
28:15
Speaker 1: everything behind, her choice to seek refuge under the wings
28:19
Speaker 1: of Israel's God. All of it pointed to an extraordinary character,
28:24
Speaker 1: and Boas acknowledged that. Touched by such kind words, Ruth
28:29
Speaker 1: responded with humility. May I continue to find favor in
28:33
Speaker 1: your eyes, my Lord, she said, You have put me
28:37
Speaker 1: at ease by speaking kindly to your servant, though I
28:40
Speaker 1: do not have the standing of one of your servants
28:44
Speaker 1: verse thirteen. She understood the honor she was receiving greater
28:49
Speaker 1: than she believed she deserved. The conversation could have ended there,
28:54
Speaker 1: but Boas's generosity had no limits. That day, at meal time,
28:59
Speaker 1: he invited her to join the workers, as we read
29:02
Speaker 1: in verse fourteen. At meal time, Boaz said to her,
29:05
Speaker 1: come over here, have some bread and dip it in
29:08
Speaker 1: the wine vinegar. When she sat down with the harvesters,
29:11
Speaker 1: he offered her some roasted grain. She ate all she
29:14
Speaker 1: wanted and had some left over. This was no ordinary
29:18
Speaker 1: invitation for a gleaner, especially a foreigner, but Boaz was
29:22
Speaker 1: determined to show kindness to this woman, who had shown
29:26
Speaker 1: such kindness to Naomi. Not only did he invite her
29:29
Speaker 1: to eat, he made sure she had an abundant portion,
29:32
Speaker 1: so much that she had leftovers. And Boaz's generosity didn't
29:37
Speaker 1: stop after the meal. When Ruth went back to work,
29:41
Speaker 1: he gave special instructions to his workers, as we see
29:44
Speaker 1: in verses fifteen and sixteen. As she got up to glean,
29:48
Speaker 1: Boaz gave orders to his men, let her gather among
29:52
Speaker 1: the sheaves and don't reprimand her. Even pull out some
29:56
Speaker 1: stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for
29:59
Speaker 1: her to pick up, and don't rebuke her. This went
30:03
Speaker 1: far beyond the gleaning laws. Boaz was telling his workers
30:07
Speaker 1: to intentionally leave extra grain for Ruth to gather. It
30:10
Speaker 1: was a calculated act of generosity, making sure she had
30:14
Speaker 1: more than enough without humiliating her with obvious charity. She
30:19
Speaker 1: would still work for what she gathered, preserving her dignity,
30:23
Speaker 1: but her reward would be far greater thanks to Boaz's
30:27
Speaker 1: quiet instructions, and so Ruth worked until evening gleaning in
30:33
Speaker 1: Boaz's field. When she finally stopped to thresh what she
30:37
Speaker 1: had gathered, the result was impressive. It amounted to about
30:41
Speaker 1: an epher of barley. Verse seventeen says that was a
30:45
Speaker 1: significant amount, enough to feed Ruth and Naomi for several days,
30:50
Speaker 1: much more than any ordinary gleaner could expect in a
30:53
Speaker 1: day's work. With this precious treasure, Ruth returned to the city,
30:57
Speaker 1: eager to share not only the food she had, but
31:00
Speaker 1: also the story of the extraordinary day she had just experienced.
31:05
Speaker 1: When Ruth came home carrying her sack of barley, Naomi
31:09
Speaker 1: could hardly believe how much she had gathered. Where did
31:12
Speaker 1: you glean to day? Where did you work? Blessed be
31:15
Speaker 1: the man who took notice of you, Ruth two nineteen.
31:19
Speaker 1: It wasn't normal for a gleaner to collect so much
31:22
Speaker 1: in one day. Naomi realized that some one had clearly
31:26
Speaker 1: shown Ruth's special favor. Ruth then told the full story
31:30
Speaker 1: her work in the field, the encounter with boas and
31:34
Speaker 1: the kindness he had shown. The name of the man
31:37
Speaker 1: I worked with to day is Boaz, she said, not
31:40
Speaker 1: realizing the weight that name would carry for Naomi. Naomi's
31:44
Speaker 1: face lit up with renewed hope. The Lord bless him,
31:48
Speaker 1: Naomi exclaimed in verse twenty. He has not stopped showing
31:51
Speaker 1: his kindness to the living and the dead. Then she
31:55
Speaker 1: revealed something Ruth didn't know. That man is our close relative.
32:00
Speaker 1: He is one of our guardian redeemers. Naomi saw something Ruth,
32:04
Speaker 1: as a foreigner, wouldn't fully grasp. Bo As wasn't just
32:08
Speaker 1: a kind man who had helped a widow in need.
32:11
Speaker 1: He was a goal, a kinsman, redeemer, someone who, under
32:16
Speaker 1: Israelite law, had the right and even the duty, to
32:20
Speaker 1: redeem a deceased relative's family. Mosaic law provided that when
32:25
Speaker 1: an Israelite man died without children, his brother or nearest
32:29
Speaker 1: relative should marry the widow and give her a child
32:32
Speaker 1: who would carry on the name and inheritance of the deceased.
32:36
Speaker 1: This is known as the Leverett law, found in Deuteronomy
32:40
Speaker 1: twenty five five two six. If brothers are living together
32:44
Speaker 1: and one of them dies without a son, his widow
32:47
Speaker 1: must not marry outside the family. Her husband's brother shall
32:51
Speaker 1: take her and marry her, and fulfill the duty of
32:54
Speaker 1: a brother in law to her. The first son she
32:56
Speaker 1: bears shall carry on the name of the dead brother,
32:59
Speaker 1: so that but his name will not be blotted out
33:01
Speaker 1: from Israel. In addition, the goal also had the responsibility
33:06
Speaker 1: of redeeming any family land that had been sold due
33:10
Speaker 1: to poverty, as outlined in Leviticus twenty five twenty five.
33:14
Speaker 1: If one of your fellow Israelites becomes poor and sells
33:18
Speaker 1: some of their property, their nearest relative is to come
33:22
Speaker 1: and redeem what they have sold. Naomi saw in Boaz
33:26
Speaker 1: a hope not only for immediate provision, but for their future.
33:30
Speaker 1: As a close relative of a limelech, Boaz could serve
33:34
Speaker 1: as a goal marrying Ruth to preserve the family line,
33:38
Speaker 1: and possibly even redeeming any family property that had been lost.
33:42
Speaker 1: Encouraged by this revelation, Ruth shared more of Boaz's words.
33:46
Speaker 1: He even said, to me, stay with my workers until
33:49
Speaker 1: they finish harvesting all my grain verse twenty one. He
33:53
Speaker 1: had offered ongoing protection, not just for a day, but
33:57
Speaker 1: for the entire harvest seasonmi Or in this a divine
34:01
Speaker 1: opportunity and encouraged Ruth to accept it. It is good,
34:06
Speaker 1: my daughter, that you go out with his young women,
34:09
Speaker 1: so that you are not found in another field verse
34:12
Speaker 1: twenty two. It was safer and wiser for Ruth to
34:15
Speaker 1: remain in Boaz's field, where she was protected and favored,
34:20
Speaker 1: rather than risk herself among strangers elsewhere. So, following Naomi's counsel,
34:26
Speaker 1: Ruth stayed close to the young women of Boaz gleaning
34:29
Speaker 1: until the end of the barley and wheat harvests, and
34:33
Speaker 1: she lived with her mother in law verse twenty three.
34:36
Speaker 1: For weeks, Ruth worked in Boaz's fields, always under his protection,
34:42
Speaker 1: always returning home with enough food for herself and Naomi.
34:46
Speaker 1: It was a season of stability and security after so
34:50
Speaker 1: much hardship. But as the harvest came to an end,
34:53
Speaker 1: Naomi knew they had to start thinking long term. Gleaning
34:58
Speaker 1: was a temporary solution. What would happen when there was
35:02
Speaker 1: no more harvest? How would two widows survive the winter
35:07
Speaker 1: without a provider. That's when Naomi, inspired by the divine
35:11
Speaker 1: providence that had already brought Ruth to boas his field,
35:15
Speaker 1: began to formulate a plan an audacious plan that, if successful,
35:21
Speaker 1: could secure a permanent future for them both. In Ruth
35:25
Speaker 1: three one to four, we see Naomi explaining the plan
35:29
Speaker 1: to Ruth, my daughter, should I not seek rest for you,
35:32
Speaker 1: that it may be well with you? Is not Boaz,
35:35
Speaker 1: with whose young women you were our relative? See he
35:40
Speaker 1: is winnowing barley to night at the threshing floor. Wash therefore,
35:43
Speaker 1: and anoint yourself, and put on your cloak, and go
35:46
Speaker 1: down to the threshing floor. But do not make yourself
35:50
Speaker 1: known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking.
35:54
Speaker 1: But when he lies down, observe the place where he lies.
35:58
Speaker 1: Then go and uncover his feet and lie down, and
36:02
Speaker 1: he will tell you what to do. Naomi's plan was
36:05
Speaker 1: risky and could easily be misunderstood. She was instructing Ruth
36:09
Speaker 1: to approach Boaz in an intimate setting the threshing floor
36:14
Speaker 1: at night, after he had eaten and drunk, when he
36:16
Speaker 1: would be alone. To an outside observer, this encounter might
36:20
Speaker 1: seem inappropriate, even scandalous. But Naomi knew Boaz. She knew
36:26
Speaker 1: his character, his integrity, his kindness, and she knew the
36:29
Speaker 1: law of Israel. By instructing Ruth to uncover Boaz's feet
36:34
Speaker 1: and lie down. Naomi was essentially guiding her to present
36:38
Speaker 1: herself as eligible for marriage under the Leverett Law. It
36:42
Speaker 1: was a symbolic gesture, a quiet reminder to Boaz of
36:46
Speaker 1: his role as kinsman redeemer. Ruth, trusting Naomi's wisdom and
36:52
Speaker 1: the kindness she had already seen in Boaz, agreed all
36:57
Speaker 1: that you say, I will do. She repatlied in verse five.
37:02
Speaker 1: It was an act of faith and trust, both in
37:05
Speaker 1: Naomi and in Boaz, and ultimately in the God of Israel,
37:09
Speaker 1: under whose wings she had come to seek refuge. So,
37:13
Speaker 1: with the plan set, Ruth prepared for an encounter that
37:16
Speaker 1: could change her life forever. The harvest was over and
37:21
Speaker 1: it was a time of celebration. Boaz, as the landowner,
37:25
Speaker 1: was overseeing the final stage, the winnowing of barley at
37:29
Speaker 1: the threshing floor. It was a joyful moment, one of
37:33
Speaker 1: abundance after weeks of hard work. In Ruth three seven,
37:37
Speaker 1: we read when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his
37:41
Speaker 1: heart was merry, he went to lie down at the
37:43
Speaker 1: end of the heap of grain. Then she came softly
37:47
Speaker 1: and uncovered his feet and lay down. Boaz was not drunk,
37:52
Speaker 1: just content after a good meal celebrating the successful end
37:56
Speaker 1: of the harvest. The threshing floor was typically an open
37:59
Speaker 1: space face on a hilltop where grain was separated from
38:03
Speaker 1: chaff by the wind. During this time, it was common
38:07
Speaker 1: for landowners to sleep near by to guard the freshly
38:10
Speaker 1: processed grain from theft. Boaz, following custom, prepared to spend
38:16
Speaker 1: the night beside his harvest. Ruth followed Naomi's instructions to
38:21
Speaker 1: the letter. She had washed, anointed herself, and put on
38:25
Speaker 1: her best clothes. She waited until everyone had fallen asleep
38:29
Speaker 1: and Boaz had laid down. Then quietly she came softly
38:34
Speaker 1: approached Boaz, uncovered his feet and lay down. This was
38:38
Speaker 1: not a seductive act, as modern eyes might misread it.
38:41
Speaker 1: It was a formal request, a silent reminder to Boaz
38:45
Speaker 1: of his role as redeemer. By uncovering his feet, Ruth
38:51
Speaker 1: was symbolically asking him to extend his protection over her.
38:54
Speaker 1: To spread the corner of your garment over me, a
38:57
Speaker 1: Hebrew expression tied to marry and covenant. Sometime in the night,
39:03
Speaker 1: Boaz stirred, perhaps from the chill of his uncovered feet
39:08
Speaker 1: or the movement of Ruth near by at midnight. The
39:11
Speaker 1: man was startled and turned over and behold a woman
39:14
Speaker 1: lay at his feet, says verse eight. Imagine Boas' surprise
39:19
Speaker 1: waking up in the dark to find someone there. Who
39:22
Speaker 1: are you? He asked in verse nine in the darkness
39:27
Speaker 1: he couldn't see clearly. Ruth answered plainly, I am Ruth,
39:32
Speaker 1: your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you
39:35
Speaker 1: are a redeemer. Her response was both an identification and
39:39
Speaker 1: a proposal. Spread your wings over your servant was a
39:43
Speaker 1: poetic way of saying, marry me, and she made her
39:47
Speaker 1: reason clear, for you are a redeemer. She wasn't appealing
39:52
Speaker 1: to Boaz his emotions, but to his role and responsibility
39:56
Speaker 1: under the law as a close relative. It was a
39:59
Speaker 1: situation ripe for misinterpretation. A young woman at night approaching
40:04
Speaker 1: a man as he slept. It could have seemed improper,
40:07
Speaker 1: but Boaz understood exactly what Ruth was doing. He saw
40:12
Speaker 1: the honor, the courage, the purity in her request. Boas'
40:16
Speaker 1: response in verses ten eleven reveals his integrity and deep
40:20
Speaker 1: respect for Ruth. May you be blessed by the Lord,
40:24
Speaker 1: my daughter, You have made this last kindness greater than
40:28
Speaker 1: the first, in that you have not gone after young men,
40:31
Speaker 1: whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, do not fear.
40:35
Speaker 1: I will do for you all that you ask. For
40:38
Speaker 1: All my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman.
40:42
Speaker 1: Boaz didn't see Ruth's request as presumptuous or scandalous, but
40:46
Speaker 1: as a beautiful act of loyalty, both to Naomi and
40:50
Speaker 1: to the memory of Ruth's late husband. He praised her
40:53
Speaker 1: for not chasing after younger men, whether wealthy or not,
40:57
Speaker 1: but for honoring the law of Israel and seeking the
41:00
Speaker 1: kinsman redeemer, and he affirmed her virtue before all. All
41:04
Speaker 1: the people of my town know that you are a
41:06
Speaker 1: woman of noble character. But there was a complication. Boaz,
41:12
Speaker 1: a man of integrity who respected the law, revealed to Ruth,
41:16
Speaker 1: it is true that I am a guardian redeemer of
41:19
Speaker 1: your family, but there is another who is more closely
41:23
Speaker 1: related than I Verse twelve. According to Israelite law, the
41:28
Speaker 1: duty of redeeming, marrying the widow, and preserving the family
41:32
Speaker 1: line first fell to the closest relative. Boaz couldn't simply
41:37
Speaker 1: bypass this other relative's rights. He had to follow the
41:40
Speaker 1: proper legal process, ensuring that everything was done decently and
41:44
Speaker 1: in order, as the Apostle Paul would later put it so,
41:48
Speaker 1: Boaz assured Ruth that he would take care of the
41:51
Speaker 1: matter the very next morning. Stay here for the night
41:56
Speaker 1: and in the morning. If he wants to do his
41:58
Speaker 1: duty as your guardian, redeem semer good, let him redeem you.
42:02
Speaker 1: But if he is not willing, as surely as the
42:05
Speaker 1: Lord lives, I will do it. Lie here until morning
42:09
Speaker 1: Verses thirteen to fourteen. Ruth trusted Boaz and stayed at
42:13
Speaker 1: his feet until dawn, but Boaz, concerned about Ruth's reputation,
42:18
Speaker 1: made sure she left before anyone could see her. She
42:21
Speaker 1: got up before any one could be recognized, and he said,
42:25
Speaker 1: no one must know that a woman came to the
42:27
Speaker 1: threshing floor verse fourteen. Before she left, Boaz offered her
42:31
Speaker 1: another act of generosity. Bring me the shawl you are
42:35
Speaker 1: wearing and hold it out. When she did so, he
42:38
Speaker 1: poured into its six measures of barley and placed it
42:41
Speaker 1: on her verse fifteen. It was a generous gift, yet
42:45
Speaker 1: another sign of his commitment to care for Ruth and Naomi,
42:49
Speaker 1: regardless of the outcome of his discussion with the other Redeemer.
42:53
Speaker 1: So Ruth returned home not just with a tangible gift
42:56
Speaker 1: from Boaz, but with the promise that he would personally
43:00
Speaker 1: take charge of her situation. The encounter at the threshing floor,
43:04
Speaker 1: risky as it had been, was a success. Now everything
43:08
Speaker 1: hinged on how Boaz would deal with the other Guardian Redeemer.
43:13
Speaker 1: Early the next morning, Boaz went to the town gate.
43:16
Speaker 1: This wasn't just a place people passed through. It was
43:20
Speaker 1: the center of public life in Bethlehem, where business, legal decisions,
43:25
Speaker 1: and social meetings took place. It was the right place
43:28
Speaker 1: to handle legal matters like the one Boaz had in mind.
43:32
Speaker 1: In Ruth four one to two we read. Meanwhile, Boaz
43:35
Speaker 1: went up to the town gate and sat down there.
43:37
Speaker 1: Just as the Guardian redeemer he had mentioned came along.
43:41
Speaker 1: Boaz said, come over here, my friend, and sit down.
43:45
Speaker 1: So he went over and sat down. Boaz took ten
43:48
Speaker 1: of the elders of the town and said sit here,
43:51
Speaker 1: and they did so. Boaz didn't refer to the other
43:54
Speaker 1: relative by name, simply calling him friend. This wasn't out
43:58
Speaker 1: of disrespect, but possibly because, as we'll see, the man
44:03
Speaker 1: would not fulfill his role as redeemer, and so his
44:06
Speaker 1: name was not deemed worthy of remembrance. Boaz gathered ten
44:10
Speaker 1: of the town's elders to witness the transaction. The number
44:15
Speaker 1: was significant it ensured everything would be done legally with
44:20
Speaker 1: reputable witnesses. Boas was committed to following every proper step
44:25
Speaker 1: so that his union with Ruth would be lawful and
44:28
Speaker 1: above question. Once everyone was gathered, Boas presented the matter
44:34
Speaker 1: to the closer relative, Naomi, who has come back from
44:38
Speaker 1: Moab is selling the fire piece of land that belonged
44:42
Speaker 1: to our relative Illimelech. I thought I should bring the
44:44
Speaker 1: matter to your attention and suggest that you buy it
44:47
Speaker 1: in the presence of these seated here and in the
44:50
Speaker 1: presence of the elders of my people. If you will
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Speaker 1: redeem it, do so. But if you will not tell
44:56
Speaker 1: me so, I will know, for no one has the
44:59
Speaker 1: right to do it except you, and I am next
45:01
Speaker 1: in line verses three to four. Boas initially mentioned only
45:06
Speaker 1: the land that had belonged to Elimelech. According to Israelite law,
45:11
Speaker 1: when a family was forced to sell land due to poverty,
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Speaker 1: a close relative had the right and even the duty
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Speaker 1: to redeem or repurchase it, keeping it within the family.
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Speaker 1: This was part of the responsibility of the goal the
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Speaker 1: family redeemer. Seeing a chance to expand his property, the
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Speaker 1: relative quickly replied, I will redeem it verse four. He
45:36
Speaker 1: seemed willing to fulfill his duty, at least regarding the land,
45:40
Speaker 1: but then Boas revealed the added condition the party had
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Speaker 1: deliberately saved for last. On the day you buy the
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Speaker 1: land from Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the
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Speaker 1: dead man's widow, in order to maintain the name of
45:55
Speaker 1: the dead with his property. Verse five. This was the
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Speaker 1: true test. Boas clarified that with the land came the
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Speaker 1: obligation to marry Ruth in order to raise up the
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Speaker 1: name of the deceased upon his inheritance. This meant that
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Speaker 1: any son born from that union would legally carry the
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Speaker 1: name and inheritance of Ruth's late husband, Mahlon, not the
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Speaker 1: name of the new husband. The land the redeemer bought
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Speaker 1: would eventually go to that child, not to his own heirs.
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Speaker 1: That changed everything for the other man. What had seemed
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Speaker 1: like a good investment adding land to his estate suddenly
46:32
Speaker 1: became a costly obligation. He would have to spend his
46:36
Speaker 1: resources on property that would ultimately benefit someone else's lineage.
46:42
Speaker 1: His response was straightforward, Then I cannot redeem it because
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Speaker 1: I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself,
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Speaker 1: I cannot do it. Verse six. He chose to step
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Speaker 1: aside and let Boaz take on the responsibility to confirm
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Speaker 1: the transaction publicly, in line with the customs of the time.
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Speaker 1: Now in earlier times in Israel, for the redemption and
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Speaker 1: transfer of property to become final, one party took off
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Speaker 1: his sandal and gave it to the other. This was
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Speaker 1: the method of legalizing transactions in Israel. Verse seven. So
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Speaker 1: the Guardian redeemer removed his sandal and gave it to Boaz,
47:22
Speaker 1: saying buy it yourself. Verse eight. It was a symbolic
47:27
Speaker 1: gesture officially transferring the right of redemption to Boaz. With
47:32
Speaker 1: the way now clear, Boas addressed the elders and all
47:35
Speaker 1: the people gathered there to day, You are witnesses that
47:39
Speaker 1: I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelech,
47:42
Speaker 1: Kilion and Marlon. I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite,
47:46
Speaker 1: Marlon's widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the
47:50
Speaker 1: name of the dead with his property, so that his
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Speaker 1: name will not disappear from among his family or from
47:57
Speaker 1: his hometown. Today you are witnesses Verses nine ten. Boaz
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Speaker 1: was not merely settling a legal matter. He was making
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Speaker 1: a public declaration of his commitment to Ruth and to
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Speaker 1: preserving her family's legacy. He was honoring not just the
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Speaker 1: letter of the law, but its spirit, ensuring that Mahalun's
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Speaker 1: name would continue through his widow. The response of the
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Speaker 1: elders and the people was enthusiastic and full of blessing.
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Speaker 1: In Verses eleven to twelve, they said, we are witnesses.
48:29
Speaker 1: May the Lord make the woman who is coming into
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Speaker 1: your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up
48:35
Speaker 1: the house of Israel. May you prosper in Ephraitha and
48:38
Speaker 1: be famous in Bethlehem through the offspring the Lord gives
48:43
Speaker 1: you by this young woman. May your family be like
48:45
Speaker 1: that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah. They compared
48:50
Speaker 1: Ruth to Rachel and Leah, Israel's matriarchs and Jacob's wives,
48:54
Speaker 1: who gave birth to the sons that became the twelve
48:57
Speaker 1: tribes of Israel. This was a profound honor, recognizing Ruth
49:02
Speaker 1: not as a foreigner, but as someone worthy to be
49:05
Speaker 1: counted among the founding mothers of the nation. They also
49:09
Speaker 1: mentioned Tamar and Perez, recalling another story where a family
49:13
Speaker 1: line was preserved under unusual circumstances. Tamar, a widow who
49:19
Speaker 1: was denied her rights under leverate law, eventually conceived by Judah,
49:24
Speaker 1: her father in law, and gave birth to Perez, an
49:27
Speaker 1: important ancestor in the tribe of Judah. The negotiation at
49:31
Speaker 1: the city gate concluded with greater acclaim. The way was
49:35
Speaker 1: now clear for Boaz and Ruth to marry legally and
49:39
Speaker 1: with the blessing of the entire community. What had begun
49:42
Speaker 1: as a simple act of gleaning in a field had,
49:45
Speaker 1: through divine providence, turned into a union that would be
49:48
Speaker 1: remembered for generations. So Boaz took Ruth and she became
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Speaker 1: his wife, says Ruth four thirteen. The text records the
49:58
Speaker 1: marriage simply and humbly, sealing Boaz and Ruth's destiny. Were
50:02
Speaker 1: given no details about the ceremony itself, but it's clear
50:06
Speaker 1: that it took place with full recognition and approval from
50:09
Speaker 1: the community. Following the legal process at the city gate
50:14
Speaker 1: boas a respected and prosperous man of Bethlehem, and Ruth,
50:19
Speaker 1: the Moabite outsider, who had shown such loyalty and virtue,
50:23
Speaker 1: were now joined. It was an unlikely union, one that,
50:27
Speaker 1: unbeknownst to them at the time, would play a crucial
50:30
Speaker 1: role in the story of Israel and eventually the world.
50:34
Speaker 1: And he made love to her, and the Lord enabled
50:38
Speaker 1: her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son.
50:41
Speaker 1: The verse continues. A special blessing rested on this marriage,
50:46
Speaker 1: Ruth's pregnancy for a woman who had been married to
50:49
Speaker 1: Maelan for years without bearing children. The Bible doesn't explicitly
50:54
Speaker 1: mention infertility, but it's implied since she had no children
50:59
Speaker 1: when and died, this conception was especially significant. When the
51:03
Speaker 1: baby was born, the celebration wasn't only for Boaz and Ruth,
51:07
Speaker 1: but especially for Naomi. The women of the town came
51:11
Speaker 1: to congratulate her, saying, Praise be to the Lord, who
51:14
Speaker 1: this day has not left you without a guardian redeemer.
51:18
Speaker 1: May he become famous throughout it is real. He will
51:21
Speaker 1: renew your life and sustain you in your old age.
51:25
Speaker 1: For your daughter in law, who loves you and who
51:27
Speaker 1: is better to you than seven sons has given him birth.
51:31
Speaker 1: Verses fourteen. Tune to fifteen. Notice that although the baby
51:36
Speaker 1: was the son of Ruth and Boaz, the women congratulated Naomi.
51:41
Speaker 1: This reflects the cultural understanding that the child born through
51:45
Speaker 1: leverate marriage was in a sense considered the child of
51:49
Speaker 1: the deceased, continuing his lineage. For Naomi, who had lost
51:54
Speaker 1: her husband and sons, this baby represented the restoration of
51:58
Speaker 1: her family. The women also recognized Ruth's extraordinary value, saying
52:03
Speaker 1: she was better than seven sons. In the society where sons,
52:08
Speaker 1: especially many sons, were seen as the greatest blessing, this
52:12
Speaker 1: was an incredible compliment. Ruth, through her loyalty and love,
52:17
Speaker 1: had brought more blessing to Naomi than many sons could have. Then,
52:22
Speaker 1: Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him.
52:26
Speaker 1: Says verse sixteen. Naomi not only celebrated her grandson's birth,
52:31
Speaker 1: but took an active role in his upbringing. Holding him
52:34
Speaker 1: in her lap was a symbolic gesture of adoption, affirming
52:38
Speaker 1: that this child would truly carry on her son Marlin's line.
52:42
Speaker 1: The women living there said, Naomi has a son, and
52:46
Speaker 1: they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse,
52:49
Speaker 1: the father of David verse seventeen. The name Obed means
52:54
Speaker 1: servant or worshiper, possibly reflecting the hope that he would
52:57
Speaker 1: be a faithful servant of the law. Interestingly, it was
53:02
Speaker 1: the neighbors who named the child, emphasizing the communal nature
53:06
Speaker 1: of the event. The entire neighborhood shared in the joy
53:10
Speaker 1: and recognized the significance of this birth. Verse seventeen also
53:15
Speaker 1: foreshadows this baby's future importance. Obed would become the grandfather
53:20
Speaker 1: of King David. What began as a story of loss
53:24
Speaker 1: and despair had become a vital link in Israel's history.
53:28
Speaker 1: For Ruth and Boaz, the birth of Obed marked the
53:31
Speaker 1: fulfillment of their unexpected but blessed union. For Naomi, it
53:37
Speaker 1: was the restoration of hope and joy after years of bitterness.
53:41
Speaker 1: And for the community of Bethlehem, it was a testimony
53:44
Speaker 1: to God's goodness, turning mourning into dancing and restoring what
53:49
Speaker 1: once seemed hopelessly lost. The Book of Ruth ends with
53:55
Speaker 1: what might seem surprising a genealogy. The final verses Ruth
54:00
Speaker 1: four eighteen to twenty two trace the lineage from Perez,
54:04
Speaker 1: son of Judah, down to David, highlighting Obid's place in
54:07
Speaker 1: that line. This then is the family line of Perez.
54:12
Speaker 1: Perez was the father of Hesron. Hesron the father of
54:15
Speaker 1: ram Ram, the father of Aminadab Aminadab, the father of
54:20
Speaker 1: Nahshon Nashon, the father of Salmon. Salmon, the father of Boaz, Boas,
54:26
Speaker 1: the father of Obed, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse,
54:29
Speaker 1: the father of David. This genealogy isn't just a technical
54:33
Speaker 1: appendix at the end of a beautiful story. It's the
54:36
Speaker 1: key to understanding the broader significance of the Book of
54:40
Speaker 1: Ruth within the grand Biblical narrative. It reveals that the
54:45
Speaker 1: seemingly simple story of a Moabite widow and her Israelite
54:49
Speaker 1: mother in law was in fact a crucial link in
54:52
Speaker 1: the chain leading to Israel's greatest king, David, and ultimately
54:57
Speaker 1: to the Messiah Jesus. Obed, the son of Ruth and Boaz,
55:02
Speaker 1: became the father of Jesse, and Jesse, as all Israelites knew,
55:07
Speaker 1: was the father of David, the greatest King of Israel,
55:10
Speaker 1: the man after God's own heart. Thus, Ruth, a foreign
55:14
Speaker 1: Moabite woman, became the great grandmother of King David, included
55:19
Speaker 1: in Israel's royal lineage. This revelation becomes even more astonishing
55:24
Speaker 1: when we recall that the Moabites were generally despised by
55:28
Speaker 1: the Israelites. They were descendants of Moab, the child born
55:32
Speaker 1: from the incestuous relationship between Lot and his eldest daughter,
55:37
Speaker 1: As recorded in Genesis nineteen thirty seven, the Mosaic Law
55:42
Speaker 1: had laid out strict prohibitions regarding the Moabites. No Ammonite
55:48
Speaker 1: or Moabite may enter the assembly of the Lord, even
55:51
Speaker 1: to the tenth generation. None of them may ever enter
55:55
Speaker 1: the assembly of the Lord Deuteronomy twenty three three. So
56:00
Speaker 1: yet here was Ruth not only accepted into the community
56:03
Speaker 1: of Israel, but honored as an ancestor of King David.
56:07
Speaker 1: It's a powerful testament that faithfulness to God and his
56:11
Speaker 1: people can transcend ethnic boundaries and historical prejudices. Later, when
56:17
Speaker 1: the Gospel of Matthew records the genealogy of Jesus Christ,
56:21
Speaker 1: Ruth is explicitly mentioned. Boaz was the father of obd
56:26
Speaker 1: by Ruth, Obed, the father of Jesse Matthew one five.
56:30
Speaker 1: She is one of only five women named in jesus genealogy,
56:35
Speaker 1: highlighting her extraordinary significance in the story of Redemption. Ruth's
56:40
Speaker 1: inclusion in the Messiah's lineage underscores several crucial truths that
56:45
Speaker 1: God often works through the unlikely and the marginalized, that
56:50
Speaker 1: true faith, not ethnic heritage, determines who belongs to God's people,
56:56
Speaker 1: and that human history, with all its tragedies and trials,
57:00
Speaker 1: is guided by a providential God who weaves everything together
57:05
Speaker 1: to fulfill his greater purposes. The story of Ruth isn't
57:10
Speaker 1: just a historical account or a beautiful narrative. It's filled
57:15
Speaker 1: with deep spiritual lessons that have echoed through the ages. First,
57:20
Speaker 1: we see how God can use unlikely people for his purposes.
57:24
Speaker 1: Ruth was a foreigner, a Moabite, traditionally excluded from Israel's assembly.
57:30
Speaker 1: She had no status, no wealth, no power, and yet
57:35
Speaker 1: God used her as a critical link in the lineage
57:38
Speaker 1: that would lead to the Messiah. As First Corinthians one
57:41
Speaker 1: twenty seven twenty eight says, but God chose the foolish
57:45
Speaker 1: things of the world to shame the wise. God chose
57:49
Speaker 1: the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
57:52
Speaker 1: God chose the lonely things of this world, and the
57:55
Speaker 1: despise things and the things that are not to nullify
57:59
Speaker 1: the things that are. Ruth's inclusion in Jesus lineage emphasizes
58:04
Speaker 1: that God's plan of salvation was always meant to include
58:07
Speaker 1: all nations, not just Israel. As God promised, Abraham, through you,
58:13
Speaker 1: all the families of the earth will be blessed Genesis
58:16
Speaker 1: twelve three. Through Ruth, a Moabite, became part of jesus genealogy,
58:22
Speaker 1: foreshadowing the time when people from every nation, tribe, people,
58:26
Speaker 1: and language Revelation seventy nine would stand before God's throne.
58:31
Speaker 1: The story also presents a powerful parallel between Bo as
58:35
Speaker 1: his role as a kinsman redeemer and the role of
58:38
Speaker 1: Jesus Christ as our redeemer. Just as Beau has paid
58:42
Speaker 1: a price to redeem Illimelech's inheritance and marry Ruth, Jesus
58:47
Speaker 1: paid the ultimate price to redeem us from sin and
58:50
Speaker 1: bring us into a covenant relationship with himself. As Paul
58:54
Speaker 1: writes in Ephesians one seven, in him we have redemption
58:58
Speaker 1: through his blood, the giveness of sins in accordance with
59:02
Speaker 1: the riches of God's grace. Boaz was a close relative
59:07
Speaker 1: with the right to redeem. Similarly, Jesus, through his incarnation
59:11
Speaker 1: became our human brother, able to represent us and redeem us.
59:17
Speaker 1: As Hebrews two eleven says, both the one who makes
59:20
Speaker 1: people holy and those who are made holy are of
59:23
Speaker 1: the same family, so Jesus is not ashamed to call
59:27
Speaker 1: them brothers and sisters. Divine providence is another central theme
59:32
Speaker 1: in Ruth's story. Ruth just so happened to choose boas
59:36
Speaker 1: his feeld to glean in, just so happened to arrive
59:39
Speaker 1: in Bethlehem at the start of the harvest, just so
59:42
Speaker 1: happened to encounter Boaz at the threshing floor, and the
59:46
Speaker 1: other relative just so happened to decline his right to redeem.
59:50
Speaker 1: All of these coincidences point to God's invisible hand guiding
59:55
Speaker 1: the events to fulfill his purpose. As Proverbs sixteen nine
59:59
Speaker 1: per the heart of man plans his way, but the
1:00:03
Speaker 1: Lord establishes his steps. Finally, the story shows how small
1:00:08
Speaker 1: acts of faithfulness can have eternal impact. When Ruth declared,
1:00:13
Speaker 1: your people will be my people, and your God will
1:00:15
Speaker 1: be my God, she couldn't have known that this decision
1:00:18
Speaker 1: would place her in the lineage of the Messiah. Her
1:00:21
Speaker 1: choice to remain loyal to Naomi and to the God
1:00:24
Speaker 1: of Israel had consequences she could never have foreseen. In
1:00:29
Speaker 1: the same way, our seemingly small daily decisions to be faithful,
1:00:34
Speaker 1: though they may appear insignificant, can carry weight far beyond
1:00:39
Speaker 1: what we can imagine. As Jesus said in Luke sixteen ten,
1:00:43
Speaker 1: whoever is faithful with very little will also be faithful
1:00:46
Speaker 1: with much, And whoever is dishonest with very little will
1:00:50
Speaker 1: also be dishonest with much. Ruth's story vividly illustrates what
1:00:54
Speaker 1: the apostle Paul would write sentries later. And we know
1:00:58
Speaker 1: that in all things God works for the good of
1:01:01
Speaker 1: those who love Him, who have been called according to
1:01:04
Speaker 1: His purpose Romans eight twenty eight. Through loss, grief, poverty,
1:01:08
Speaker 1: and hardship, God was weaving a story of redemption not
1:01:12
Speaker 1: only to bless Ruth, Boaz and Naomi in their time,
1:01:15
Speaker 1: but one that would ripple through King David and ultimately
1:01:19
Speaker 1: to Jesus Christ, bringing blessing to the entire world. If
1:01:24
Speaker 1: this story touched your heart today, don't keep it to yourself.
1:01:29
Speaker 1: Share this video with someone who needs to be reminded
1:01:32
Speaker 1: that God is working behind the scenes in our lives.
1:01:35
Speaker 1: Maybe it's a friend going through a hard time or
1:01:38
Speaker 1: a family member who needs to hear again about God's faithfulness.
1:01:43
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1:01:45
Speaker 1: the perfect moment to join our family. Hit that subscribe
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1:02:00
Speaker 1: did you think of Ruth's story? Which part moved you
1:02:03
Speaker 1: the most? Tell us in the comments below. We'd love
1:02:06
Speaker 1: to hear from you. Your voice matters, and don't forget
1:02:09
Speaker 1: to like this video so it can reach more people
1:02:12
Speaker 1: with this beautiful message of hope and redemption. See you
1:02:16
Speaker 1: in the next video, where we'll keep exploring the wonderful
1:02:20
Speaker 1: stories of the Bible and their connection to the coming
1:02:23
Speaker 1: of Jesus Christ. May God bless you and your family.